(Philadelphia,
PA) -- A new Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery,
to be led by nationally-recognized colon/rectal specialist
Robert D. Fry, MD, has been created within the
Department of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania
Health System.
"This important subspecialty addition will further
enhance the level of care we provide to patients, and
increase our strength as a recognized national leader
in comprehensive surgical care," said Larry
R. Kaiser, MD, the John Rhea Barton Professor and
Chair of the Department of Surgery at Penn, in announcing
the formation and staffing of the new division.
Dr. Robert Fry, who joined Penn earlier this month as
Professor of Surgery and Chief of the Division of Colon
and Rectal Surgery, will be joined in his new division
by surgeons John L. Rombeau, MD; Howard M.
Ross, MD; and Najjia N. Mahmoud, MD. Complementing
the surgical team will be a professional support staff
consisting of a clinical nurse, Sara Gray, RN, and a
genetics counselor, Gretchen Matika, MS, CGC.
It is estimated that Penn's Colon and Rectal Surgery
division will serve at least 300 additional patients
each year at the Health System's two West Philadelphia
based hospitals -- the Hospital of the University of
Pennsylvania (HUP) and Presbyterian Medical Center.
One of every 18 people in the United States will develop
colorectal cancer in his or her lifetime. Indeed, colorectal
cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer in North America
-- after lung and breast cancer in women, and lung and
prostate cancer in men.
Penn's new division will also provide an umbrella of
services for colon and rectal conditions other than
cancer, including colonoscopies and surgical procedures
for inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis and anorectal
pathology.
Dr. Robert Fry comes to Penn from Thomas Jefferson University
Hospital, where he served as the Marks Professor and
Chief of the Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery. He
served as President of the prestigious American Society
of Colon and Rectal Surgeons during 2001, and currently
serves as Director of the American Baord of Colon and
Rectal Surgery. He recnetly completed a term as a Director
of the American Board of Surgery. He served for five
years on the Residency Review Committee for Colon and
Rectal Surgery, including a term as Vice Chair.
Dr. John L. Rombeau has been Professor of Surgery at
Penn since 1994. He is a member of numerous professional
societies and served as President of the International
Association for Surgical Metabolism and Nutrition from
1997 to 1999. He is an Examination Consultant for the
American Board of Surgery; a Fellow of the American
Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery, and Chair of the
Gross Prize Committee of the Philadelphia Academy of
Surgery.
Dr. Howard Ross is Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery
and member of the Core Faculty for the Laparoscopic
Surgery Fellowship at Penn. He is a member of Penn's
Committee on Graduate Medical Education and is program
director of Surgery Preliminary Residency at Presbyterian
Medical Center.
Dr. Najjia Mahmoud is a former Assistant Professor of
Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Prior
to that, she served as Senior Clinical Associate in
Surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital and as Administrative
Chief Fellow in Colorectal Surgery at the University
of Minnesota in St. Paul, MN, where she was named Carl
E. Christianson Outstanding Resident Scholar.
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Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
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